County unveils law enforcement memorial

U-T Multimedia: For a photo gallery of the law enforcement memorial ceremony, go to uniontrib.com/more/memorial

SAN DIEGO – The sight of three young boys wearing little police badges covered with a black stripe took Enrique Camarena back to all the law enforcement memorials he attended as a boy.

He was 11 years old when his father, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, was kidnapped and killed by drug traffickers while working undercover in Mexico in 1985.

Wednesday, Camarena once again paid tribute to his father, this time at San Diego County's new law enforcement memorial.

About 1,000 family members and law enforcement officers gathered in front of the County Administration Center on Harbor Drive for the memorial's unveiling, which came after many construction delays.

The keynote speaker, San Diego police Chief William Lansdowne, told officers' surviving family members in the front rows that their loved ones died “doing something they loved to do.”

“Their sacrifice really lies at the altar of justice. They're the true heroes of America today,” the chief said.

The names of 80 fallen peace officers etched in the glass and granite memorial were read aloud – from the 1864 death of sheriff's Deputy Andrew Kriss to the 2008 death of Border Patrol Agent Jarod Dittman.

“Each represents heroism, sacrifice, duty, commitment and character,” Steve Bessant, father of slain Oceanside police Officer Dan Bessant, told the crowd. “More names will be etched in over time. Because keeping the peace, supporting our freedom and standing up to protect others from evil sometimes comes at a great cost.”

After the ceremony, people grabbed pencils and strips of paper to make rubbings of their loved ones names. They laid red flowers at the foot of the memorial and floated them in the fountain.

“I can tell you firsthand that all of this helps,” said Camarena, 35, now a deputy district attorney. “It connects families who are going through the same pain, the same longing for a loved one. It brings back a lot of memories, but this is stuff you need to remember, not forget.”

The $332,000 memorial will be illuminated at night to make the names glow. The light will change to blue whenever a local officer is killed in the line of duty, and during the memorial ceremony each May.

Wednesday's ceremony was a proud moment for many organizers who have struggled over the past two years to correct large cracks that kept appearing in the glass panes. A design change finally eliminated the problem.

“I wondered if this day would ever come, but it was worth all the agony to see little kids tracing the names of their mom or dad,” said Jim Duffy, a spokesman for county Supervisor Ron Roberts and a sheriff's lieutenant on leave.

The dedication coincides with upcoming National Police Week, when the names of 133 officers slain last year will be added to the national memorial in Washington, D.C. Dittman, who was killed in a crash in Jamul, is the only one from San Diego County.